Program for Clubhouse Research

Included among the major initiatives at SPARC is a research program that examines outcomes associated with the Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation.

The Program for Clubhouse Research was created January 2000 through an affiliation between the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD). The Program for Clubhouse Research maintains strong links with the International Center on Clubhouse Development, located in New York City, Genesis Club, an ICCD certified clubhouse and international training center in the Worcester area, as well as ties with clubhouse programs around the world. Its purpose is to develop and support an international research agenda and to increase the quality and quantity of research on the Clubhouse Model. The Program for Clubhouse Research coordinates and initiates research and technical assistance with projects that study the effectiveness of Clubhouse model programs. The Program for Clubhouse Research has developed an international network of researchers and research stakeholders that includes partners throughout the United States and more than a dozen other countries.

Mission

The mission of the Program for Clubhouse Research is to facilitate, promote, develop, and assure the quality of clubhouse research. Broadly defined, the Program for Clubhouse Research coordinates, promotes, and conducts clubhouse research projects that are congruent with clubhouse philosophy and evaluates the effectiveness of the clubhouse model of psychiatric rehabilitation and/or describes the services that clubhouses provide for their members.

Functions

The Program for Clubhouse Research will provide a number of functions. One important function of the program is conducting clubhouse research with ICCD clubhouses and other academic institutions, both in and out of the United States. A second important function is acting as a clearinghouse for clubhouse research with the capacity to provide effective communication, dissemination of information, and assistance to clubhouses and researchers considering participation in clubhouse research projects. Third, the Program for Clubhouse Research has developed a set of ICCD Guidelines for Clubhouse Research that has been widely disseminated throughout the international clubhouse network.

Current Research Project Related to the Program for Clubhouse Research: